


The Pair that Passed the Past

by ZolphDiggler



Series: RyuAnn Week 2020 [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, No actual spoilers for PQ2, Not all doom and gloom I promise, Pre-Relationship, That title is trying way too hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25875736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZolphDiggler/pseuds/ZolphDiggler
Summary: RyuAnn Week 2020-Day 4: Free DayThe Castle of Lust was months behind them at this point, but thanks to the most complicated trip to Mementos yet it sure doesn't feel like it.
Relationships: Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Series: RyuAnn Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873399
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21
Collections: RyuAnn Week 2020





	The Pair that Passed the Past

This place fucking sucked.

Given the situation they were all in Ryuji would have been pretty damn pissed regardless. What was supposed to be a simple side job in Mementos had resulted in he and the rest of the Phantom Thieves dragged off and thrown into some bizarre, crazy other world. Well, a different bizarre crazy other world than he was used to anyway. What was really getting him riled up though wasn’t the strange cinema building full of blue weirdos and gooey freaks, that Seiten Taisei’s mighty lightning was once again Captain Kidd’s light spark, or the fact one of the people he was stuck here with was a certain beaked asshole in red and white who they knew fine well was planning their downfall. All that sucked sure, but all he could concentrate on was the location of the ‘movie’ he was currently in. A gaudy city lit with dim streetlights and blinding neon, streets stretching for what seemed like forever and filled to the brim with Shadows that were odd even by Shadow standards. After robbing castles, pyramids and space stations some random city really shouldn’t phase him so much, but just about everything about it had Ryuji’s weapon arm antsy thanks to the asshole this world was based around.

Suguru Kamoshida, disgraced gym teacher, olympic level bastard, and all around human shit stain that by all accounts should be a distant memory by now. According to the brains of the group it wasn’t actually him or even his Shadow, but that didn’t mean jack to him. It still had that presence that made you feel tiny no matter how big you were, that voice that made it clear he thought himself invincible and had everyone around him believing just that, and the crowds of people singing his praises in the face of obvious abuse that had once caused the boy to write everyone around him off as an asshole. Even if this Kamoshidaman wasn’t really the same guy he was in every way that mattered to Ryuji. Hell they’d even stood up to him only to get humiliated just like he’d done with the real deal way back when he pissed away his future. Of all the people it could have been why the hell did it have to be him? The sense of closure he’d had seeing both Kamoshida’s Shadow and real world self grovelling on the floor, pleading for the same pity and mercy he’d never shown a damn person in his life was satisfying as hell. As it stood now though it just felt like being back at the starting line.

“Skull come on, we’re gonna fall behind if you keep dawdling like that.”

The voice of the person walking by his side, a voice seemingly capable of grabbing his full attention no matter the circumstances pulled him out of his own head. The thoughts that were the causing the storm in his head swiftly gave way to his rather annoyed looking teammate Panther, otherwise known as his oldest friend Ann. Not the most accurate words to sum up just what she actually was to him, but dwelling on that was just asking to make himself feel even worse.

“Right. I hear ya. Sorry.” he said, turning to face her and forcing the best smile he could manage. Really it was moments like these that really drove home why he clearly wasn’t worth her time in the first place. Here he was stewing in his own frustration, whilst a woman who had no doubt went through worse than he had at the hands of the same man was walking right there beside him. How the hell must she be feeling? Not to mention their teammates Makoto and Haru counting on his dumb ass to rescue them. Was it down to selfishness or obliviousness that he was still him acting this way? Did it actually matter? All he knew is that he didn’t get why Ann or in really anyone else put up with him when he still got like this after all this time. She did put up with him though. More and more so lately even. Hell if he didn’t know any better it was less like putting up with him and more like actively seeking his company these days. Damn was she amazing, but sometimes Ryuji thought she must be even dumber than he was. Not all that dumb though apparently though, the unimpressed look on her face in response to his plastered on grin reminding him there were potential downsides to being so close to someone.

“Hey, is your leg alright in here?”

“Huh? Oh yeah it’s fine. Same as the Metaverse I guess.” Unlike her he really hadn’t given it much thought.

“No excuses then. Let’s hurry.” The smile and hearty smack on the back she gave him serving as his motivator, he did as he was told and picked up the pace to catch up with the rest of the team.

Wasn’t too long afterwards that their leader yielded to the cat’s insistence they pull back and recuperate, and Ryuji now found himself back in the cinema lobby that would at any other time be an alien and irritating place to be stuck. In comparison to Kamocity however he found it plenty welcoming. The plan was to just take five with a snack until it was time to drag himself back in there, wit the oddly energizing popcorn he’d bought specifically to serve that purpose. The view of Ann approaching with a drink in her hand and a frown on her face told him that wasn’t likely to happen though, his thoughts confirmed as she urged him to budge up and took a seat next to him.

“You eat like a total slob you know that?” The richness of her remark was apparently lost on her as she helped herself to a rather liberal amount of popcorn from his cup, as brazenly she’d done with his Big Bang Fries as long as he’d known her. He ought to protest he supposed, but even putting the fact he knew fine well it wouldn’t stop her aside it’s not like he really minded.

“Like you wouldn’t be pigging out if they had honey or caramel.” Her mouth still full of his snack she offered no rebuttal beyond a shrug. For a moment he thought maybe she hadn’t caught on and he’d manage to get away with just small talk and their usual back and forth.

“Guessing you’d rather not have to go back there either huh? I get it. Way too many crappy memories.” Damn. Of course she knew what was eating him. The way she could read and relate to people so well was one of the traits he.. admired most about her, but it wasn’t half a pain in moments like this.

“That obvious huh?” He’d thought briefly about trying to steer her off topic by teasing her about talking with her mouth full, but that would at best just delay the scolding her was due. He knew fine well when he’d been caught.

“You’ve got some nerve calling my acting bad. Really though, I’d probably be even more worried if that place didn’t piss you off.”

“Can’t say I’m in much rush to head back.” he admitted. “Sorry by the way. Y’know, about suggesting that whole smashing up billboards thing.”

“No biggie.” she said, as he caught himself staring and averted his gaze as she sucked the salt from her fingers. “Seemed like a good idea at the time. Can’t say I wouldn’t have felt good.” Yet another dumb idea he’d almost dragged her into. As much as he’d rather not he could remember every detail of the poster that had given him the urge to burn or break every piece of propaganda he saw back there. A poster of a faceless but unmistakable pigtailed blonde in an intimate embrace with the city’s bastard of an idol. He remember how his blood boiled seeing her in his arms, only made worse by the looming feeling that at least part of that unpleasantness came from the fact it wasn’t his arms she was pictured in. Worse than that though he remembered the sadness and the disgust on Ann’s face as she saw the poster herself, and the anger and frustration on their leader’s as he had to stop them from causing a scene and endangering everyone for the sake of a chance to vent. Having that smug asshole Akechi of all people come off as more concerned for the safety of the third years had made him feel real small, like he was the same idiot he’d always been. Ready to throw punches that felt good but accomplished nothing.

“Still, my bad. That bastard did way worse to you than he did to me. Got no right being so wrapped up in my own stuff.”

“It’s not a competition you know?” she said, her voice weary and her still unopened drink dangling from her fingers. “You lost just as much as anyone. Mishima, Shiho, me, anyone.” Despite himself he felt a small smile creep on to his face. Even among those who look at him and didn’t see a rowdy delinquent who got what he deserved, most just saw one of the many students who suffered his abuse. An ex track star who got away with a clean break and could now walk perfectly fine, even run when he pushed himself. But Ann saw beyond that. She saw the boy who had lost the opportunity make a living doing just about the only thing he was good at, who’d thrown away the chance to give his mother who had worked so hard to raise him alone a comfortable future. It was nice to be understood, but it was also pretty damn frightening.

“I guess.” She didn’t seem fond of his response, though he decided to move on before she could press the topic. “How’s Suzui been lately anyway?”

“She’s doing good all things considered. Texts me everyday, calls me when she can.” Ryuji was glad to see that talking to her about Suzui brought out her smile he found so infectious rather than tears these days. He’d accompanied Ann to the hospital a handful of times, but as he’d never been remotely as close to Suzui as she had been. Ann had always been easy to talk to and Suzui always spoke her mind, but breaking in to a friendship that insanely tight was a no easy task. As a result he’d always felt like a bit of a third wheel as he sat there in the hospital room, but Ann at least seemed to appreciate whatever support his presence gave her. That was enough for him. “She didn’t even have an outlet like getting to beat the crap outta his Shadow, but she still manages to stay strong. I might be stuck in her shadow forever at this rate.” She went quiet, her smile growing slightly sad as she shook her head and stared at the ceiling. “Do you think it gets like this for them too?”

“Like you’re stuck running a marathon on a treadmill?” She gave him a look that told him everything he needed to work out what she thought of his phrasing before nodding. “Maybe? Probably. Doubt they get reminders this in your face at least.”

“Yeah.” she said with a scoff. “Of all the people it could have been huh?”

“It bother you much?” The way her faced screwed up for a moment at his question had him thinking it was an icredibly dumb one, but she answered soon enough.

“I mean I guess, but not really? Like, stuff still bothers me sure, but when I look back at least I can see how different I am from back then y’know?” She paused for a moment looking for the right words, before startling him with a snap of her fingers. “Oh right! I’ve told you before right? Who I grew up wanting to be like?”

He did remember and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You mean before Risette and that Pink Featherman chick took over? It was all those sexy anime supervillan girls. Explains that attitude of yours for sure.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment!” she said, her voice as forceful as the poke in the side that had him doubting that was true. “Anyway, even when they’d lose over and over they’d always keep fighting. They did what they wanted, said what they wanted, flaunted their sex appeal and didn’t care what labels anyone gave em. They were so cool! I always thought I could be just like that, but…” The look on her face as she trailed off had Ryuji wanting to tell her she didn’t have to tell him anything she didn’t want to, but at the same time he really wanted to know. He was grateful when she composed herself faster than he could interrupt. “But…when I actually found myself in that kind of situation I wasn’t anything like that. When people spread those rumors or called me names it hurt like hell, and when that asshole threatened Shiho for the longest time I’d just nod and go along with whatever he wanted. I was too terrified of what would happen if I fought back. Looking back at who I wanted to be and who I actually turned out to be makes me wanna grab the old me give her a good smack. It’s hard to think about sometimes.”

“Ann…”. Hearing such harsh words for someone he cared so damn much would have usually pissed him off, but that it was coming from that person herself just had it hurting like hell. The want to stop her and the want to hear her out continued to pull him in opposite directions.

“Still,” she continued, and he was thankful to see the smile of relief return to her face as she did so, “I’m not who I used to be. I can fight back now, and I won’t just stand by and let anyone use me or hurt the people I care about ever again. Even if it feels like things haven’t changed as much as I want, as long as I can remember that I’ve changed I can keep going.”

That certainly explained a bunch. Where that ferocious fire she put on display whenever she became Panther came from. The fire that threatened to tear both his gaze and his thoughts away from where they should be all too often. That inner strength of hers more than matched her outer beauty, and damn did they compliment each other. “Not a bad way of looking at things.”

“It works. I was a little worried you might not relate honestly.” she said with a soft chuckle. “We’ve got plenty in common but we kinda differ on that one huh?” That threw him off. What was that supposed to mean? Was that a compliment or an insult?

“Huh? I don’t get ya.”

“I mean needing to change like that. You’ve always been the kinda guy to fight back right? That’s what I mean.”

“Wait!. You mean like trying to deck Kamoshida and talking back to him and stuff?” That was hardly the type of thing he’d ever expect her to view in a positive light, but the smile and nod she gave him in response told him otherwise.

“Right! You never took his crap to begin with. Bet it really pissed the guy off.”

“I mean yeah sure, but look what happened afterwards! I couldn’t really do jack until I got my Persona!”

“And look what happened to Shiho when I finally got sick of it and refused to go to his apartment! Are you saying I should have?”

“No!” His echo, the way the rest of the team all spread through the rest of the cinema had jumped, and the flinch and annoyed shush he got from Ann told he his reaction may have been a little too vocal, but for real what the hell? It began to dawn on him what she meant, as he took a moment to compose himself and adjusted his volume. “N-no. Course that ain’t what I’m saying. Don’t even wanna imagine…” Ryuji trailed off and turned round in his seat to sit facing away from her, a knee curled up to his chest. Just the thought of what would have happened if she went there alone threatened to send his fist through a wall, or what little of his popcorn he’d managed to eat himself back up and on to the cinema floor. A distraction came quickly in the form of the sound of Ann shuffling and the weight of her body pressing against his own. Given how he’d for sure be able to tell if it was her front, he concluded instead she was likely sat back to back with him.

“So you do get it then? Of course I regret what happened, but I don’t regret what I did. I didn’t say what you did was the smart thing to do numbskull.” she said, her voice as soft as the hand her felt covering his own. “But there are worse things to be than dumb. Like a coward.”

“You ain’t a coward Ann.”

“No, I’m not. Not anymore. But you never were. Not with Kamoshida, not when you’d try to protect your mom or when you’d get into fights with all those boys who called me names. Never.”

“Wait!” The hell? He’d never told her about that last one! “How the eff did you-” He felt her jolt slightly, and heard the familiar but endearing sound of her laugh.

“Because you just told me.”

Well shit. Even when she couldn’t read him like a book, something about her always had him saying too much. He felt her give his hand a reassuring squeeze before she continued on.

“I’m not totally certain when Panther became a thing, but I think Skull might have always been there. You’re…actually pretty cool Ryuji. Really cool actually.”

A compliment. An outright compliment, free of any sarcasm or followed by any mood lightening insult. He had a pretty hard time with those in general, never mind coming from her. Kind of a problem when they were coming more and more frequently. He didn’t quite know how to react, but he knew it felt good. Really damn good. 

“You’re…pretty cool too.” Smooth. Nailed it.

“Mmm, am I now?”

“For real.” Sitting there with a girl who he’d had it bad for as far back as he could recall, with it difficult for him to tell which of the two thundering hearts he could feel belonged to who probably should have had him panicking. The amusement in her voice and the way she continued to stroke her thumb across his knuckles should have made him want to run for the hills. But it didn’t. That a hotheaded delinquent like him could sit there next to someone so blatantly amazing inside and out, and yet have it feel so natural? To have her care enough about him to bother trying to drag him out of his pit, and know him well enough to have the words to do so come so easily? They way they clicked together rough edges and all was as ridiculous as it was undeniably real.

But if this came so easily to him, what else could he have? What else was he making more complicated than it actually was? Maybe, just maybe, his dream girl didn’t have to be just a dre-

“Oh wowee. The P.D.A Squad are at it again.”

Shit! Ryuji jumped, and if the skull that his own crashed into was any indication so did Ann. Throwing out both curses and an apology that ended up blending into complete nonsense, he span round to see Futaba eyeing them up, a grin on her face and the rest of the team a ways behind her crowded around the movie room entrance.

“The hell? Arggh, damnnit! Wha- what’s going on!”

“Lookie, it’s totes true we’re all waiting on you two to quit the slow burn crap and just get it on already, but there’s a time and a place and this ain’t it Chief. Come on now. Shadow time.” Lacking any sort of argument for their navigator and his attention split between her the girl by his side with her face red with fury, he shooed Futaba away telling her they’d be just a minute.

“Shit you alright?” he asked, although judging by her nursing the back of her head and her still red face he could guess the answer.

“Yeah fine sure! Let’s just go.” She hopped off the seat just a little too quickly and started to stomp back towards the team.

“Let’s head back!” As he blurted that out she turned back around and shot him a look as if he was speaking total nonsense.

“I am heading back where do you think I’m going? Come on you hurry too.” Right. Should probably be clearer than that.

“No no, I mean afterwards. After Makoto and Haru are safe and we’ve kicked that guy’s teeth in one more time, let’s head back in and smash the place up like we wanted. I still think it’ll do us some good.” That smile of hers. Playful and teasing, but warm. Dazzling. He loved it. Yeah. Loved it. She muttered something, him only catching the words ‘settle down’ and ‘same as ever’, as she reached out her hand once more and helped him to his feet.

“Sounds fun.”

When he found himself back in that city he despised so much it didn’t seem quite so dreary anymore, the buildings less towering and the streets not so endless. It was comforting knowing that even if his finish line still felt miles away no matter how far he ran, he could stumble and trip along the way as many times as he needed to. Safe in the knowledge he had always someone there drag him off his ass, slap some sense into him and urge him to keep moving. Someone who in return just wanted the reassurance he’d do the same for her. Not a bad deal. Not at all. Maybe he was more cut out for relay all along.

**Author's Note:**

> Not my most smiles and sunshine style work, but hopefully I straddled the line of touching on less pleasant themes without making it an unpleasant read. I think these two have a style of humour that can lighten the tone a bit without totally demolishing it, so hopefully that worked as intended. Got something more fluffy lined up for Day 6 if that's more your bag, and any feedback is as always welcome.


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